The spectre of massive electoral fraud in 2010

All seven bidders for the automated elections system that will be implemented by Comelec have been disqualified. This raises the specter that massive electoral fraud will happen in 2010, just as it happened in 2007, 2004, 2001, 1998, 1995, and 1992!

Hello Garci is coming back to haunt us and only a few people give a hoot.

Only a few Facebook friends dared to comment on my status post on the matter. My blog entry on the issue scarcely managed a couple of hits.

I am tempted to think that this is an indication that no one really cares about automated elections and no one is even willing to raise a ruckus about it.

Other top blogs haven't taken it up. Ellen Tordesillas, Chef Tonio, Citizens on Mars, Mt. Balatucan Monitor, New Philippine Revolution, and others are all focused on their respective spiels on politics and whatever else.

Better Philippines has yet to take up the issue. Perhaps he will consider doing this because it involves the first attempt to implement a system that should be designed to prevent the manipulation of electoral poll results. Surely, it won't eliminate electoral fraud completely but it will certainly stop -- even for a time -- wholesale vote manipulation.

Mar's BFF blogger and my Facebook friend Kevin Ray Chua has thankfully lent his voice to the cause of automated elections. He has posted status updates on the matter and I've commented on it several times together with Bagumbayan compatriot and Facebook buddy Noni Velasco.

Kevin didn't say much in his status update, save for saying that he doesn't want manual elections in 2010 and that he's sick and tired of it. I am hoping he'll come out with something more substantial in terms of a blog entry or possibly get Mar to rally with us next week at the Comelec -- instead of riding a bike, being Ninong to quintiplets, crying on television, and getting Jun Lozada out of jail. He'll get media mileage for a really good cause and I will personally forgive him for DELAYING THE PASSAGE OF RA 9369.

Noni, on the other hand was really fired up and I'd like to share his comments on Kevin's status updates and my own status updates:

(1)
So many innocent lives perished , public school teachers in particular due to HIRED goons, operators etc.. Our neighboring countries are automated a long time ago.. If we Filipinos will not push for automated elections , because we are afraid of hackers, then let's all throw away our laptops, PC's because cyber is BS.. including our FB accounts!

(2)
I have been a poll watcher since 1992, we all know how dirty the manual canvassing is done, from the barangay, to the municipal then to the Provincial "where the provincial treasurer is MAGICIAN" Obama was proclaimed so quickly.. The 2007 senatorial winners were proclaimed after a month!

(3)
Mano mano pag natalo maglulupasay. parang bata na agawan ng kendi . tulad nun isang matandang politiko na natalo ang anak ... hehehe aayaw ayaw pa kasi, eh nadaya na rin sya noon, di pa nadala hehehe.

(4)
Like in 2004 , A mayoralty candidate was leading in the tabulations for four days, he became confident, complacent, came sunday night the magic started, monday morning his rival took the lead, eventually was proclaimed, why because the longer the time, rigging is massive.

(5)
The Philippines should push through with the automated polls, to at least minimize election fraud and quicker results because if we remain manual, we might have a constitutional crisis especially on the president because they should be inaugurated before July 1, 2010. or else Senate President Manong Juan Ponce enrile will be the acting President

Thank you Noni, isa ka talagang Bagumbayani!!